Vasco want the Maracanã again: what's Flamengo's excuse now? | OneFootball

Vasco will once again request the Maracanã to host its match against Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil semifinal. The club will make a formal request to the Fla-Flu consortium, which manages the stadium, as reported by O Globo in a piece by journalist Diogo Dantas. The matches are scheduled for November 1 and 8, and home-field rights will still be decided by draw.

The move rekindles an old deadlock — and once again puts the decision in the hands of the rivals who run the stadium.

The precedent that still bothers Vasco

This is not the first time Cruzmaltino has tried to take a major knockout match to the Maracanã and run into resistance from the consortium. In the quarterfinals, against Vitória, Vasco also wanted to host the match at the stadium, but its request was denied — according to the consortium, due to lack of notice.

At the time, the club even took the dispute to court, but Flamengo and Fluminense’s arguments prevailed: the consortium argued that minimum advance notice was required and that the pitch needed to be preserved, and the court agreed. The result: Vasco was left without the venue it wanted precisely for a knockout match.

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What the agreement between the clubs says

The new attempt is based on a formal document. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by Vasco, Flamengo, and Fluminense — with the consent of Fla-Flu Serviços — allows Cruzmaltino to use the Maracanã for up to four matches during 2026, depending on availability and operational conditions.

There is, however, one rule that could once again prove decisive: the agreement requires that the request be made at least 15 days in advance. That was exactly the point that sank the previous request. This time, with the matches set for early November, Vasco has enough room in the calendar to meet the deadline — and thus remove from the consortium the argument that prevailed last time.

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What is at stake now

The difference in context is enormous. This is no longer about the quarterfinals, but about a place in the Copa do Brasil final, against an opponent of Palmeiras’ stature. Any new refusal now, without the timing loophole, would likely have a much stronger impact — and shine a light on how much Vasco, which does not have a stadium of its own suitable for a match of this size, depends on the goodwill of those who manage the Maracanã.

Once again, the ball is in their court. Now it remains to be seen what Fla-Flu’s response will be — and whether, this time, a “no” will have anything to stand on.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.